£9.5m electric network revamp planned for large swathe of Wester Ross; SSEN Distribution says work in Gairloch, Poolewe, Aultbea, Ullapool, Achiltibuie and Lochinver will result in more resilient network and help speed up power cut repairs
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Around 4500 homes and businesses across Wester Ross are set to benefit from a £9.5m project which will make their power supplies more resilient and ensure the local electricity infrastructure is equipped to meet the demands of a low-carbon future.
That's the claim of SSEN Distribution, the company behind the electricity network in the north of Scotland, as it prepares to begin its 14-month project in December this year.
It will be carrying out a wide range of activities which it says will have a positive impact across an area which takes in Gairloch, Poolewe, Aultbea, Ullapool, Achiltibuie, Lochinver and all the smaller communities in between.
Working alongside engineering, management and development consultants Mott MacDonald, the project has been designed to not only increase the reliability of existing customers’ supplies but also, with an eye on the future, SSEN is looking to ensure its network has ample capacity to meet the forecasted increase in low carbon technologies as the country strives to meet its net-zero targets.
Mark Rough, SSEN’s director of customer operations (north), said: “The accelerated drive towards net zero will see more demands on the electricity network from the increase in popularity of new technologies, and this £9.5m investment programme will ensure that we can continue to deliver a reliable, resilient and responsive network for our customers across the north-west Highlands.”
A large part of this project is focussed on ensuring SSEN’s overhead lines and wooden poles are in the best possible condition to minimise the risk of power cuts, with teams carrying out the following phases of work:
Rebuilding the line between Slattadale and Aultbea, a total length of 18.5km;
Upgrading 28km of overhead line from the substation at Aultbea to Dundonnell;
Building a new line between Dundonnell and Altnaharrie which will, in turn, lead to the installation of a new subsea cable from Alltnaharrie to Ullapool Golf Course across Loch Broom.
As well as being stronger and more resilient, the new overhead lines will also provide SSEN’s engineers with greater flexibility in the ways they can restore customers’ supplies during a power cut, as they can be used to reconfigure or “re-route” supplies away from the section where the fault has developed, reducing the length of time that customers are without power.
SSEN teams will also be busy on the ground during the project, carrying out major works to refurbish the substation at Aultbea and upgrade the equipment at its counterpart in Ullapool, as well as building a new “switching station” which is similar to a substation, at Morefield Industrial Estate in Ullapool.
Donald MacKinnon, SSEN Distribution’s head of large capital projects, said: "Our planning teams have been scrutinising every area of the local network to make sure this project delivers the best service for our customers. Not only will we be increasing reliability and reducing the potential for power cuts, we’re also anticipating the increased demand for power from new technologies such as solar panels on customers’ roofs and electric vehicle chargers in their driveways, and we want to ensure our network helps local communities thrive on the road to net zero.”
Maree Todd, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: “The north-west Highlands has some of Scotland’s most remote communities, and so a reliable supply of electricity is an essential part of daily life for everyone who lives here. I welcome the news of SSEN Distribution’s £9.5m investment as it will not only make our local infrastructure more robust and less susceptible to power cuts, but will also facilitate the transition to net zero. The investment will ensure our local networks are better prepared to cope with more electric vehicles and decarbonised heat with greater demand for electricity from increasingly renewable sources as Scotland makes strides towards its targets for net zero.”
Giulio Riccardi, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, said: “Mott MacDonald is proud to support SSEN in delivering this project in the North West Scottish Highlands. We are delighted to help with integrating renewable energy generation into the network, as we move closer to a sustainable future. We believe the partnership between Mott MacDonald and SSEN will continue to grow in the coming years.”
For more information on the project, visit ssen.co.uk/ullapool-aultbea/.
